In June 2023, EDIRE Partners, prof. Jasminka Hasić Telalović, SSST University together with UNIGE Partner, Carla Maria Reale, attended the 29th Conference of the Europeanists on the panel discussion and round table on “Practices Implemented Thanks to EU Funded Projects” at University of Iceland.
The role of academia in promoting an inclusive culture, where everyone can contribute positively to the academic community and society while recognizing, respecting, and celebrating each other’s differences, is a subject of extensive debate. The League of European Research Universities (LERU) has identified opportunities for universities aspiring to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to become institutions where anyone with potential can thrive.
It was an excellent platform for the project coordinator from the University Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Jasminka Hasić Telalović, to present the EDIRE project.
Cinzia Leone, also from the University of Genoa, participated in this panel and shared insights on “Engendering Research and Working on Inclusive Education: The Intersecting Trajectories of ULYSSEUS and XFORMAL Projects.” Juan Pavón from the University of Complutense Madrid also attended, sharing his experience on “Integrating Women With Disabilities in Research” and presenting the project “The RISEWISE.”
In addition to the representatives from the partner universities, Mary Lou O’Neil from Kadir Has University discussed “How the GENDER-EX Project Is Integrating a Gender+ Dimension in Research,” while the representative of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, Shaban Darakchi, presented “Sustaining Excellence in Bulgaria Through Gender and Disability Research” with The MILIEU project.
The roundtable provided a platform for debating the role of EU research policies and funding in fostering EDI in academia. The invited speakers discussed strategies and practices, sharing concrete examples from EU-funded projects coordinated by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey, involving more than 10 countries.
This was an excellent opportunity to disseminate the EDIRE project as the conference audience is very international and besides European, also includes a strong presence of academics from the United States of America.